Pilot scheme to
help charity
Jack’s Dream

ORGANISERS of this year’s Hastings Beer and Music Festival are introducing a pilot scheme to help a children’s charity.

A charity fast track pass to an exclusive bar area will be available today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday).

Initially, only 100 ‘lucky’ VIP guests and sponsors will earn themselves a chance to wear a fast track wristband on the Friday night for the soft launch, taking them to an exclusive area at the centre of Europe’s longest bar, where they can buy drinks from a selected choice of nine local ales, lager, cider and Pimms.

This will of course include Pier, this year’s charity beer, where a percentage of the proceeds go to the Hastings Pier Charity.

If it proves a success, a further 200 festival-goers tomorrow night can buy for £10 a top-up wristband, in addition to the usual entry ticket price, which will go directly to Jack’s Dream, the Round Table’s chosen children’s charity.

Jack’s Dream aims to support families who have experienced the loss of a baby or child. It seeks to provide financial assistance to families experiencing financial hardship for headstones, memorial plaques or an item of remembrance.

Tony Lee, chairman of Hastings Beer and Music Festival, said: “Each headstone costs around £700, which for some families is simply just unaffordable. Jack’s Dream has funded six headstones since last June costing a total of £4,271.95. On average the charity needs to raise just over £6,000 to fund nine headstones per year and up to £9,000 a year to help pay for courses to send its volunteers on to become qualified bereavement counsellors.”